Chapter 582
“If it’s something I can achieve, I can grant anything. Not just me, but even the Transcenders residing in the Labyrinth will help fulfill that wish.”
In effect, anything permitted by the universe was possible.
“If you want, you could even make this Labyrinth yours.”
In the truest sense, there were many things Taesan could have achieved.
But ironically, the shine of that wish had faded for him.
The Magician muttered with an ambiguous expression.
“For an ordinary conqueror, it would be a reward with more than enough meaning, but for you now, I’m not so sure. Most of what I can grant, you can accomplish on your own.”
Taesan had become strong.
Excessively so.
To an overwhelming degree.
For someone who had reached that level, there were very few things he could not accomplish.
Even if he would never actually do it, if Taesan truly put his mind to it, he could even forcibly seize the Labyrinth.
So the Magician had a few guesses as to what Taesan might desire.
Things Taesan could not achieve through ordinary means.
The Magician brought up one of them.
“Do you want to turn back Earth’s time?”
“Is that even possible?”
“There is the God of Cycle, and she can intervene to some extent through Ouroboros… Rewinding the cycle of a single Earth isn’t impossible. We could return it to the peaceful Earth from before the monsters invaded.”
“Memories?”
“Since they don’t possess the proper qualifications, they would forget.”
Everything would be forgotten.
The Old Gods, the Labyrinth, all of it would vanish from people’s memories, and everyone would live ordinary lives.
Taesan would likely be the only one left remembering.
‘Would Lee Taeyeon remember too?’
He couldn’t be sure.
She was Maria’s Apostle, but she had not regained her memories until she reached a certain state.
Forgetting everything, people would live. A normal daily life.
That too would not have been a bad ending.
But Taesan shook his head.
“I don’t want that.”
“Then what is it you wish for?”
The Magician asked. He had been guessing a few things Taesan might want.
Taesan thought for a moment, then opened his mouth.
And what he said was completely different from what the Magician had expected.
“The Adventurers in the Labyrinth’s Solo mode.”
Most of them had given up on clearing it, or even if they had not, they were people for whom clearing the Labyrinth was impossible.
“Can you make it so they can give up on clearing the Labyrinth from anywhere and return to Earth whenever they want? I mean, make it so they can challenge the Labyrinth freely.”
“Huh?”
The Magician was taken aback.
After briefly understanding what Taesan meant, he soon put on a puzzled expression.
“It’s possible… but. It doesn’t seem very meaningful.”
Originally, giving up on clearing the Labyrinth was not especially difficult.
They simply had to stop descending into it.
Right now, all Solo mode Players were on Earth.
Keeping them from returning to the Labyrinth would not be difficult for Taesan.
There was no reason to use the wish granted for clearing the Labyrinth’s 100th floor on something like that.
“To begin with, there’s not much I want anymore.”
He had achieved everything he had wanted.
But he also had no desire to turn back Earth’s time.
“While I could make the Solo mode Players stay on Earth, that would also take away their freedom to choose.”
There would likely be those among them who still wanted to keep descending Solo mode.
Even if it meant risking their lives.
Taesan had no intention of taking that choice away from them by force.
But the Magician probably would not like Taesan freely coming and going with Solo mode however he pleased. Since he was the master of the Labyrinth.
So he would accomplish it through a wish.
It was a reasonable statement.
But the Magician was extremely flustered.
“Is that really all you want?”
It was far too small a wish for the reward given for clearing the Labyrinth.
It was also a wish almost entirely unrelated to Taesan himself.
Taesan spoke calmly.
“It doesn’t matter.”
“If that truly is what you want, I have no reason to refuse. But I am a little taken aback.”
“Then may I ask for one more thing?”
“A request? Go ahead.”
Taesan stated what he wanted.
The Magician, after hearing him out, stroked his chin.
After thinking for a moment, the Magician nodded.
“That should be fine. Dersha doesn’t particularly like that sort of thing… but considering what you’ve accomplished, she probably won’t refuse.”
“Then that’s enough.”
He stated his wish.
The Magician chuckled.
“You’re unexpected right to the very end. Well, not bad. It suits you.”
The Magician clapped his hands.
Hummmm.
The Magician’s Divine Power spread.
The master of the Labyrinth exerted his influence over the Labyrinth.
“I, the Magician who created the Labyrinth, declare it here.”
The Magician declared as the administrator of the Labyrinth.
“For the one who has conquered the Labyrinth, the wish he desires shall surely be fulfilled.”
Hummmm!
The Magician’s Divine Power activated. It spread throughout the entire Labyrinth.
And it was fulfilled.
Taesan’s wish.
“It’s done.”
“Simpler than I expected.”
“Your wish isn’t that grand, after all. It was granted more easily than expected.”
“Then…”
“It’s over. Now.”
The Labyrinth no longer held any meaning for Taesan.
“I see.”
Taesan murmured.
The Magician smiled faintly.
“If you ever change your mind later, come visit again. I’ll welcome you.”
“I’ll think about it after things settle down.”
“Farewell. Thanks to you, it was truly enjoyable, Taesan.”
Taesan returned to Earth.
Those who had been waiting for him approached.
And Taesan told them. What he had done, and what would happen to them now.
The Solo mode Players wept with emotion.
“Oh, ooooooh…”
“For lowly people like us, to personally do such a thing…”
“Thank you. Thank you…”
“If you want, you can settle on Earth. If you want to challenge Solo mode, you can descend again.”
“Of course we should descend!”
“Hmm… it’s scary, but now that we’ve come this far, it feels awkward to back out.”
Those like Amelia and Lee Taeyeon, who had descended beyond a certain point, chose to continue.
And those who were still below a certain point gave up.
All of it was their choice.
The Easy Mode, Normal Mode, and Hard Mode Players were the same.
Those three Labyrinths belonged to Taesan, so it was much simpler there.
“Enter the Labyrinth when you want, and if not, remain on Earth. All of that is your choice.”
“We have the right to choose. Not bad.”
“It’s over. In the truest sense.”
It had truly reached its conclusion.
“So now, you can just live.”
A calm voice spread among the people.
It was over.
Now they could live.
But there was still a problem.
The fact that Earth was devastated.
Other than them, not a single living thing remained.
They could obtain food through Makeshift Cultivation, but the variety was extremely limited.
Even if they started living again, they would not be able to live the way they once had.
Amelia asked Taesan,
“Well, then are we bringing animals and plants from other planets? Or are we moving to another planet?”
Both were possible for Taesan.
But Taesan shook his head.
“Neither. We will live here.”
“That’s good, but how…”
Taesan placed his hand on the ground. The withered, ruined world. The people fell silent.
‘I always wondered about it too.’
What to do with Earth after everything ended.
Now he had obtained that card.
“Cycle.”
Earth began to cycle.
Rumble!
“Uh.”
“Uhhh?”
The people were startled.
Everything on Earth, other than a very small portion, began to cycle and accelerate at a terrifying speed.
A meaningless rock instantly weathered and turned into sand.
The density of the air changed rapidly. The sky accelerated and accelerated.
“Uhhh…”
The people realized it.
That the planet Earth itself was accelerating at an absurd speed.
A distorted planet where nothing should have been able to live was, after a very long time, turning once more into a planet where life could exist.
And now, that process was being forcibly reversed.
Single-celled organisms soon became multicellular.
And multicellular life became living creatures, turning into things that could truly be called life.
Lush vegetation gradually appeared across the brown world.
Splash!
Fish leaped from the sea.
Crustaceans,
fish,
amphibians,
insects,
birds and reptiles,
and mammals.
Lush trees.
“Ahhh.”
“Oooooh…”
It was like watching a documentary of Earth’s birth through to the present played back at high speed.
That sight was unfolding before their eyes right now.
“This should be enough.”
Taesan lifted his hand away. The people could not close their mouths.
Before them stretched a world as lush as the Amazon.
“The rest is up to you.”
Taesan told them.
“Alright!”
The people shouted energetically.
They cut down the trees, and they tilled the land.
Thanks to Taesan, Earth had regained life.
But the overgrown vegetation now hindered them. The land had to be cleared.
They had no equipment, but that was not a problem. Most of them had already far surpassed the realm of superhumans. Lee Taeyeon alone could till land on a continental scale.
And there were also those who wielded more than mere physical force.
The engineers and scientists.
Taesan had not cycled all of Earth. The remnants of humanity had been left untouched.
And the people were now turning their attention to the technology they had been unable to focus on while survival had been the priority.
They repaired what they could repair, and took apart broken machines to understand how they worked.
Filled with hope, the people moved forward.
“Whew.”
Lee Taeyeon let out a breath.
Having tilled land on a continental scale, she asked as though something had suddenly come to mind,
“Come to think of it, Taesan. Why didn’t you turn back time? That would’ve been more convenient.”
“Then you would have lost everything.”
There is no convenient method without drawbacks.
Taesan would not have lost anything even if time had been reversed. What he had built up existed beyond that kind of concept.
But these people were different.
All the power and memories they had built up until now would have disappeared.
The very fact that they had risked their lives and broken through everything would have been completely erased.
These people took pride in surviving, and in the power they had built up.
He had no intention of taking that away from them.
Taesan had experienced it himself.
He had lost everything except Soul Rank Usurpation.
He recovered most of it, but even now, there were still some Skills he had not regained, like Designated Skill Reset.
That feeling of loss and helplessness was awful.
He had no intention of making others go through that.
“So that was what you were thinking. It’s definitely a good thing for us.”
Lee Taeyeon was an Apostle, but that did not make her an exception. In reversed time, only complete concepts would remain.
“But it’s also sad.”
The number of dead was not small.
No, more than half had died.
They had to go on living while burying those deaths in their hearts.
And Taesan had thought about that too.
“It’s okay. I already discussed that part with the God of Death.”
“What?”
“She said it would take time to sort out so that the concept works properly. But… at least everyone who died because of the Old Gods can all return.”
Even Bardray, though in a twisted way, could be resurrected. There was no reason Earth’s people could not be as well.
As long as Taesan resolved the Old Gods’ corruption, all that was needed was Dersha’s cooperation.
Dersha disliked having her concept interfered with, but considering what Taesan had accomplished, she had not opposed it.
“Really?”
Color returned to Lee Taeyeon’s face.
That the dead could return as well.
“That’s a relief. Then… this really is a perfect happy ending.”
Lee Taeyeon smiled brightly.
That fact was soon conveyed to the others as well.
That lost family, friends, and lovers could return. The people were overjoyed.
They worked even harder in preparation for their return.
Within a matter of days, something like a city began to take shape.
Taesan did not interfere in that process.
If he used his power, reclaiming Earth would have been finished in a single day.
No, it would not even have taken that long.
With a light tap of his foot, he could shape the entire planet however he wanted.
But Taesan did not do that.
There were several reasons, but the biggest one was to reduce the people’s dependence on him.
There were no more monsters.
From now on, people had to live by their own will.
He had no intention of letting them continue relying on him forever.
A city was built.
Taesan silently watched that sight.
And during that time,
the Transcenders were looking down at Earth.
[What should we do?]
[What do you mean?]
[The war is over. But he is extremely dangerous.]
One Transcender spoke. Arilnan looked at him as if daring him to continue.
[He can destroy the universe. He can crush all things and turn them into things that never existed.]
[So?]
[We should find a way to seal him…]
The Transcender trailed off.
Because there was contempt in Arilnan’s gaze as she looked at him.
[Are you saying we should kill the hunting dog after using it? Disgusting. But creatures like you have always been like that. There’s one problem. A very big one. First, how exactly are you planning to seal him?]
Just because Boundary had sealed the Old Gods did not mean Taesan’s power had weakened.
He could still wield Boundary.
If he fought seriously, not even all the Transcenders in the universe gathered together could guarantee victory.
Arilnan could not even estimate how much damage would be caused, or how many concepts would be destroyed in the process.
[And how many Transcenders do you think would agree with your opinion?]
[…]
The Transcender flinched and trembled.
He could feel countless gazes directed at him.
Every single one of them belonged to Transcenders renowned as powerful throughout the universe, each ruling over concepts far beyond anything he could compare to.
Those who resided in the Labyrinth.
They were silently watching him.
[I am the same.]
Arilnan patted the Transcender’s head.
[So stop spouting such disgusting nonsense and get lost. If you say the same thing again, I’ll crush your head.]
The Transcender left without another word.
Arilnan, now alone, turned her gaze back toward Taesan.
[You really went through a lot.]
The God of Cycle.
To Arilnan’s surprise, Taesan had accomplished many things. The process could not have been easy.
[May you live a peaceful life.]
A soft voice scattered through the universe.
“What about the people who are born in the future?”
As if suddenly remembering, someone asked.
It was a simple but sharp question, and it made the people think.
What kind of lives would their descendants live?
“Will they also challenge the Labyrinth?”
“Then they will be given a real choice.”
Not a forced choice like the one they had faced.
In the truest sense, they would choose among Easy Mode, Normal Mode, Hard Mode, and Solo mode, and decide for themselves.
And they would risk their lives to break through the Labyrinth.
They will live.
In a different direction than before. But certainly.
“Ah. Right.”
The city was slowly being built piece by piece.
The first commemorative city, symbolizing their new life.
What name should that city be given?
“Of course, Kang Taesan!”
There was not a single dissenting voice.
The name of the new city was decided to be Kang Taesan.
“Will Taesan like that?”
With an awkward expression, Lee Taeyeon went to tell Taesan.
“Taesan?”
Creak.
The door opened.
A small room.
A shabby chair inside.
There, Taesan was sitting.
His arms rested on the armrests, his chin propped up, his eyes closed.
Without moving, literally—
Lee Taeyeon’s eyes widened.
[He’s sleeping. This is the first time I’ve seen him sleep so peacefully.]
Bardray’s voice rang out. Lee Taeyeon steadied herself.
“For a second, I thought… no way.”
[Should I wake him?]
“No. Let him sleep. We can talk later.”
Lee Taeyeon sat down, hugging her knees.
The fact that he had not woken up even though she came in meant he was sleeping deeply.
“How long has it been since he slept like that.”
Probably the first time in this life.
Taesan had truly run without rest.
He cleared Solo mode faster than anyone else, risked his life, and overcame countless hardships.
And at last, he had reached the end.
Taesan fully deserved to rest.
“Taesan. You worked hard.”
Lee Taeyeon smiled faintly. The quiet voices of people echoed in the distance. Sunlight poured in through the ceiling of the broken building.
〈The End〉
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〈Author’s Note〉
Yes. This is the end. Taesan’s journey reaches its conclusion here.
Of course, he will do many things in the future, but at least the story of this long journey has come to an end.
This work, too, is one that has taught me so very much.
What I write, and what I am capable of writing. And whether I could serialize
a full-length novel to this extent, and so on.
I have truly gained a lot.
As this was the longest-running series among my works and was loved by so many, I too am filled with a strange emotion.
It’s the feeling of, “So this is how it ends.”
Many of you have mentioned side stories.
Of course, I am also thinking about them.
Personally, there are many stories I want to write.
How Taesan will live from now on.
As some of you have mentioned, the Demon God. And many “what if” stories.
I want to write them all.
However, the problem is that the time has finally come for me to fulfill the military service duty I have been continuously postponing…
I can’t put it off any longer.
As I don’t know when I will be fulfilling that duty, it’s difficult for me to give you a definite answer as to when the side stories will be. 7T -TT
Until then, I will do my best to write as much as I can!
The only reason I was able to come this far is because all of you, the readers, read my work.
The ratings and comments were a great source of strength for me while serializing the work.
Thank you always.
Well then, I will see you all again with another story next time. Thank you.
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Translator’s Note:
I don’t know… the ending felt a bit rushed to me, haha.
To be honest, this series became a bit of a struggle for me to translate because the story started to feel one-sided. Ever since Taesan became a Transcendent, it felt like there were no real problems or setbacks for him anymore. It was a lot more fun when he was still just a normal human, struggling to collect skills and taking down enemies who underestimated him. Even so, it was still a fun read overall.
To the readers, I apologize for the delays in release. Like I mentioned, this series became a bit difficult for me to work on, and I thought it would be better to finish everything in one go and release it rather than keep you waiting every week.
The side stories will also be released soon. I just don’t have the raw copies yet, so those will be delayed as well. Once I find them, I’ll get to work on them. If any of you know where to find the raws, please send me a message on our Discord channel or leave a comment below.
Lastly, I want to sincerely thank all of you for the continued support you’ve shown me over all this time. Some of you may not know this, but this series was one of the OG projects I started back when I first launched this website. I’d say I’ve come a long way since the early chapters, when my translation quality was pretty rough compared to now, lol. Still, thank you all so much for the support. See you in my other projects!
P.S. If you have any suggestions or requests for novels similar to this one, I’d love it if you left a comment or sent me a message on our Discord channel. I’m currently looking for a new series. Thanks, everyone!
P.P.S. Chapters 1 to 79 will also be uploaded, either before the side stories or together with them.